page_title: Culver PQ-14 Cadet
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Culver PQ-14 Cadet / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Navy Culver TD2C-1 target drone (BuNo 69547) flown by naval aviator Jack V. Robinson in flight, circa in 1945. In 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps drew up a requirement for a radio-controlled target drone for training anti-aircraft artillery gunners. The first aircraft in a series of target drones was a modification of the Culver LFA Cadet which eventually led to the PQ-14 series used throughout World War II and beyond. 1,198 were transferred to the U.S. Navy, which designated them as TD2C-1 with the decidedly unattractive name Turkey.
context_page_description: The Culver PQ-14 Cadet is a modified version of the Culver LFA Cadet used as a target drone.
  In 1940, the U.S. Army Air Corps drew up a requirement for a radio-controlled target drone for training anti-aircraft artillery gunners. The first aircraft in a series of target drones was a modification of the Culver LFA Cadet which eventually led to the PQ-14 series used throughout World War II and beyond.
context_section_description: The XPQ-14 was first flown in 1942 and began to be received in training units shortly after. The aircraft was flown unmanned, controlled by radio, but was flown by a pilot for ferry flights, utililizing a rudimentary control panel installed for that purpose and using their parachutes as a seat. Docile and easy to fly, the aircraft was finished in a bright red target color scheme although operationally, a silver or red finish was applied. Without a pilot they were flown from a "mother ship" aircraft. The typical mother ship was a Beech C-45. Despite their short lifespan, the aircraft performed well and the Franklin engine was considered "trouble-free".
  Most of the Culver target aircraft were "blasted out of the sky" by Army anti-aircraft gunners but a dozen or more survived and were surplused after 1950. Flown as a recreational aircraft, their new owners found that the aircraft had a sprightly performance. One is preserved as a flying example at the Planes of Fame in Chino, California, another is part of the collection at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and a third N5526A, that flew to airshows throughout the 1970s holding the last airworthiness certificate is displayed at the Airpower Museum at Blakesburg, Iowa.
caption: A U.S. Navy TD2C-1 in flight, circa 1945.
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